The Clean are an influential indie rock band that formed in Dunedin, New Ze… Read Full Bio ↴The Clean are an influential indie rock band that formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1978. The Clean soon forged a distinctive and quirky sound, inspired by punk filtered through to the relatively isolated New Zealand. Although they released several chart-topping singles in their native country, The Clean are a little-known cult band outside of New Zealand, although their influence is surprisingly far-reaching. They became a staple of college radio in the 1980s; Stephen Malkmus of Pavement cites them as a major influence, and the band's droney 80s output is a direct forerunner of bands such as Yo La Tengo and Camper Van Beethoven.

In 1981, a fan of the Clean founded the Flying Nun label to release their first single, "Tally Ho." A follow-up track off one of their early EPs, "Beatnik", also achieved success, as did the second single, "Getting Older". The Flying Nun label went on to be New Zealand's biggest independent record company, championing the Dunedin Sound, a loosely-connected style of music largely produced by bands from this southern city. Others on the label included The Chills, The Verlaines, The Bats, and Sneaky Feelings.

During much of the 1980s, The Clean disbanded, and during this time the Kilgour brothers worked together on an experimental album and EP using the deliberately punning titles "The Great Unwashed" and "Clean Out of Our Minds". Reforming in the late 1980s, the band explored a slightly poppier vein of music while still retaining their experimental edge.

In June 2008 a live album recorded during the 2007 New Zealand tour was released in New Zealand on Arch Hill Records, entitled "Mashed". A new studio album, titled Mister Pop was released on September 7, 2009 on Arch Hill, and on September 8 in the United States on the Merge label.

In December 2009, The Clean announced their first European dates in more than 20 years, supporting the cult U.S band Pavement at Brixton Academy on the 10th of May. They also played at the Pavement curated ATP at Butlins Minehead on the 14th of May. Other dates on the tour included Amsterdam (May 22), Hamburg (May 23), Berlin (May 25) and Barcelona's Primavera Sound festival May 29).

I Can See
The Clean Lyrics

Will I make it?
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
Will I make it?
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know
Will I make it?
I don't know

I don't know
I don't know
Will I make it?
I don't know
But I don't want
To be stopped
And I hate
That they can
Force my hand
Ruin my plan
So I'm thinkin
I'll come clean
I'll give you an inch
You'll see what I mean
If my message
Is unclear
Well just bow your head
And feel out your fear
It's too easy
You got dumb
You twiddle your fingers
And sucked on your thumb
You think that you're safe
You're feeling All Clean
You think you're so special
When life is on screen
If I make it
I won't stop
Till you're missing heaven
With brimstone on top
I'll get what I want
I'll say what I want
I'll teach you a lesson
Might spit when I talk
If I'm naked
And alone
Scared of just living
And too fucking stoned
If I make it
I'm all gone
Nothing is left
Cause everything's wrong
I'm not jaded
I'm still strong
I'm sick of not singing
I'll burn my own tongue
We'll go down into the basement
And see what I've done
See what I've done
See what I've done
We'll go down into the basement
And see what I've done
See what I've done
See what I've done
We'll go down into the basement
And see what I've done
See what I've done
See what I've done

Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid

Written by: Zachary Edwards

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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